Seeing You
by Ettie Tobias
Summary: The three times Thalia sees Luke again. Thuke. Story is  hopefully  better than the terrible summary.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: don't own squat!

It was in the year 2030 when she first saw him again. A lot of things had changed around her, but she hadn't.

Percy and Annabeth, who were in their late 30s, were instructors at Camp- and did what Mr. D no longer wanted to do; he couldn't wait to get out in a few years. Percy and Annabeth had who kids- a girl with curly black hair and grey eyes, and a little boy with blonde hair and eyes as green as the sea.

Grover was out in the world a little less, because he couldn't leave Juniper. Nico was working for his father, but he pretty much spent all his time at camp. He was dating a fiery little daughter of Apollo. Her name was Sadie, and she was the kind of girl Thalia liked, with the random colored streaks in her caramel colored hair and her combat boots.

But Thalia hadn't changed a bit. She was still the 15 year old, punk-styled, immortal lieutenant to Artimis in the summer of 2030, when the Hunters were staying at Camp Half-Blood.

His name was Joshua Wright, son of Hades, but that was not who he was. Thalia could tell he was Luke, even through his black hair and dark eyes. It was in the shape of his smile, the way he carried himself, the way he could steal and prank as well as any of the Hermes Cabin, the way he was the best sword fighter at Camp- sometimes even better than Percy- even though he had only just turned 14, the way he paused when he went near Thalia's Pine; like he was trying to remember forgotten memories.

For the whole summer, she never spoke to him. Only Annabeth noticed what was wrong whenever Thalia turned form the loudest person in the room to a quiet observer when Joshua came near. But she knew enough not to say anything. She too realized it was Luke

But one cool night in the beginning of August, Thalia was sitting on the beach. She couldn't sleep in the Artimis Cabin, but she was afraid to enter the Zeus Cabin. She was afraid of old memories.

She heard a rustle of sand behind her, and instinctively grabbed her knife. She was very aware of the cleaning harpies.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down! It's just me."

Luke's voice, she thought. She turned around to see Joshua glancing hesitantly form her face to the knife in her hand. She sighed and let it drop, turning back to the ocean.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked as he sat down next to her. She just shrugged. "Me neither."

"Why?" she asked him.

"Didn't you hear about the quest?" he sighed when she shook her head, still staring out at sea, refusing to look at him. "Hey, I'll leave go. You seem upset, I'll leave you alone."

"No, its fine," she glanced up at him, then away again. "You… you just remind me of someone I once knew… someone who died in the Battle of Olympus."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You must have really loved him; you seem pretty torn up."

"W-what? N-no, I-"

"Oh yeah, you're a Huntress, aren't you? That would explain how you lost someone dear to you 20 years ago but you look 15."

"He was a traitor," she managed to spit out. "He betrayed me- betrayed all of us. I hate him!" She hurled a nearby rock into the ocean to relieve some of the stress.

They both sat in silence for a few moments.

"Is that why you joined the Hunters? Because of him?"

The silence continued when she refused to answer. She didn't know how long had passed before he spoke again.

"Well, I should probably get some sleep before we leave in a few hours. See you later." He stood up and began to walk away. He had only gone a few steps when he turned around.

"Hey, Thalia?" She glanced up at him, and maybe it was just her imagination, but she didn't see a dark-haired, dark-eyed boy. But a young boy, maybe 12, with blonde hair, sharp features, and mischievous blue eyes. His face was unmarred by a scar. He continued, "have you ever thought that maybe he didn't know he was betraying you? That he did what he did because he couldn't live with himself because he thought your death was all his fault? And that he just _had _to get your death avenged; just _had_ to do something right for once? That he loved you and missed you and thought he was doing what you would've wanted him to do? But then he lost it, and it snowballed out of control, and he almost killed you again."

With that he turned, and the raven-haired son of Hades walked away.

Thalia just sat there, her mouth slightly agape, unsure of what to do. She knew somehow it had been Luke talking to her, but was it just that moment or did he still remember? She sat pondering this, and soon she fell asleep.

Thalia woke up when the sun was high in the sky. She went looking for Joshua, but apparently he had already left.

Thalia spent the days until they returned normally, but all the while wondering what she would say to him when he returned.

0_0

The questors came back during the campfire some night a week or so later. Thalia watched them as they approached, but immediately noticed that something was wrong. There were only two, instead of the traditional three. They were both girls; Joshua was not with them. Bothe girls' eyes were red from crying, and one started sobbing when a camper asked where Joshua was.

After a while, they told their story. Thalia only heard bits and pieces, but she gathered that Joshua had died while trying to save the girl who was sobbing. She was his girlfriend and he had taken a knife for her.

"_He died a hero's death,"_ they said. "_You know Josh, he'll try for Elysium."_

Didn't they know he already had?

His burial shroud was burned in black flames. Joshua had been popular at camp- everyone thought he was a funny, lighthearted kid, especially for a son of Hades.

Thalia didn't know what to think. It was good he was gone, wasn't it? He was Luke, he was a traitor. She tried hard to convince herself.

Annabeth saw what was going on in Thalia's mind. Annabeth; who used be like Thalia's little sister, was now old enough to be her mother. Who was also affected by Luke.

"Don't worry," she whispered to Thaila. "You know the Fates, I might not, but you'll see him again. It could take for every, so you got a while to make up your mind about where you stand with him."

So as the last flames licked Joshua Wright's Burial shroud, Thalia whispered to Luke:

"_I'll be waiting."_

And she might have even heard an:

"_I'll find you, where ever your path may lead…"_

So whaddya think? (sorry for typos, I'm too lazy to reread it!)

Sorry for the Nicadie reference in there. I hate Thalico but I love Nicadie.

Sorry for those who are expecting an update on _Tatters_. :/

This is not a one shot; there will probably be 2 more chapters.

Reviews make me update faster. Think about it?


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, it's been like almost exactly half a year. (Thanks for the threat, I-AM-JANUS, got me motivated) Long time no see! I gotta admit though, I really like this chapter. I hope you do too!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned PJO, Luke would have been able to live; the knife would have just killed Kronos. **

The next time she saw him was 103 years later. Things were changing faster and faster with all the new technology. Thalia's memories were starting to slip away from her.

The Huntresses often visited thrift and antique stores when they didn't have anything to hunt, looking at things that were brand new when they were mortal. It was usually just the newer hunters that tried to hold onto their memories, but even some of them tried to forget. Most of them had joined the Hunt for a reason, after all.

Thalia was one of the few who tried desperately to remember everything. She even went far enough to write down everything about the first 15-ish years of her life. She reread it every few years, and added things to it when they surfaced.

Maybe that's how she built up those few words she might have imagined hearing into so much more.

The Hunters were after Lycaon (for the hundredth time it seemed) in the winter of 2133. He and his pack had led them to some small blustery town near the Minnesotan shore of Lake Superior.

Thalia tried to keep her girls away from mortals as much as possible; the Mist did hide most things, but sometimes a clear-sighted mortal or a young demigod would see the troop of 30 adolescent girls with their bows and hunting wolves, following or fighting some horrible monster. She tried not to scar them.

Apparently Lycaon didn't agree with her methods, seeing as he led them straight into the town. They were getting close; too close to skirt the place and pick up the trail on the other side.

Thalia sighed, "Jessica," she called over her shoulder and the daughter of Ares was next to her in an instant. "Take your girls around to the other side. The rest of us will head straight through. Let's see if we can trap him."

Jessica nodded, "Split up, girls! Beta, follow me!"

Once they had left, Thalia turned and waved her girls forward.

As they marched towards the town, the wind that had already been blowing hard, picked up. One thing you should know about Minnesota –especially around the great lakes- the weather can change for the worst _fast _and the wind is freakin' _cold. _

Soon the snow picked up as well, and the visibility was quickly reducing. The girls trudged through, fanning out and searching the entire town, but as soon as Thalia saw Jessica and the others, she realized Lycaon was gone.

"Thalia!" Jessica shouted over the ever-worsening storm. "He's gone, and we ain't gonna catch him in this. We gotta hunker down somewhere!"

Thalia nodded, and was about to head out to find somewhere to pitch camp, but figured they would have a hard time doing it in this wind. She looked around at the buildings on this street, and saw a small restaurant with only a few others, caught be the storm, sitting inside.

"Tell your dogs to find a snow bank and dig caves to stay warm in until we can come get them. Then everyone get in there," she pointed.

The girls all filed in, and sat at the tables. There ended up not being enough chairs, so Thalia and Jessica decided to sit up and the counter.

The man next to them was drinking coffee, and staring down at a blank page in a notebook. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with brownish-red hair and glasses.

When the two girls sat down next to him, he glanced up at them quickly, and then at the rest of the girls in the room, as if only just realizing it was full.

He watched him for a minute or so, then picked up a pencil and began writing. Every so often he would watch them for a bit, and then go back to his work.

Thalia blamed her ADHD, or maybe her dyslexia and the fact that she couldn't read over his shoulder, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"Excuse me, sir," She tapped him on the arm. "What are you writing about my girls?"

"Oh," he looked up at her, startled. "Um, well, I was kind of stuck in the story I'm writing but I guess they gave me an idea." He turned back to his notebook, meaning to end the conversation.

"What's it about?" Thalia asked while swiveling on the stool.

"Jeez, kid, didn't your parents teach you about personal privacy and stranger danger and all that?"

Jessica, knowing who Thalia's parents were, snorted, but tried to cover it with a cough. Thalia just rolled her eyes at him.

"No, sir, my parents never taught me that."

The man seemed taken aback for a few moments, and then turned back to his work. "It's just trash. That's what everyone else says."

"Well, at least tell me what idea my girls gave you."

The man sighed, seemingly in defeat. "Fine. The story has a lot of Greek myths in it, but it's set in contemporary times. The girls reminded me of a story about the immortal Hunters of Artemis."

Thalia glanced at Jessica, a laugh in her electric blue eyes. "Well, we know a lot about the Huntresses. Anything Greek related actually. So, the story takes place nowadays?"

"No, actually. I placed it in the late 20th to early 21st century."

Thalia didn't know why, but the man's enthusiasm for something he thought was fantasy and she knew was real was hilarious.

"What's it about?" Jessica spoke up, repeating Thalia's earlier question.

"You kids actually interested in Greek mythology?"

"Please, mister, our whole lives are Greek mythology." The man didn't get Thalia's joke.

"Well, um, it starts with the main character running away from home because monsters attack him and he wants to protect his mother. He finds out his father is Hermes, and then he meets this wonderful girl, who's a daughter of Zeus. They travel the country by themselves for a while, and then the two meet a little girl, who can outsmart both of them even though she's seven, because she's a daughter of Athena. The three become a family, replacing the ones they ran away from. The rest of the story is still just thoughts, but like I said, your girls gave me the idea for the Hunters of Artemis finding them. Maybe they want to recruit the girls, but they won't join because it would split up their 'family'." The man paused before continuing.

"I don't know why, but I have this nagging in the back of my head. Once I get an idea for the story, it's hard to change it, and I have this feeling the older girl will die, and the main character will realize just how much he loves her, as she's passing in his arms."

He glanced up at Thalia and misread the shocked expression on her face.

"I know, deep right?"

"No," Thalia jumped up, recognizing her story, recognizing who she was talking to. "No, don't give them a tragedy. Give them a happily ever after."

"Kid," he scoffed, "life doesn't always end up happily ever after."

"I KNOW!" She exploded, then tried to calm herself down. "I know, trust me, I know. Life _never_ ends up perfect. My life has been tragedy after tragedy. _That's why people read the freakin' books!_ Don't give them –they don't deserve-"

His phone rang loudly, cutting her off.

"Sorry, gotta take this. It's my wife."

Those last three little words sent Thalia's mind reeling. Luke hadn't come back for her, he'd forgotten her. She sat there in shock until he finished his conversation.

"Sorry, again," he apologized. "She was wondering where I was, the storm an' all."

Thalia glanced out side; the storm was still raging, but it seemed to have calmed down a notch and would be traversable for the Huntresses. They could set after Lycaon again soon.

"Jessica, gather the girls. I think we're good to go."

As Thalia stood to follow the troop, the man grabbed her arm.

"Hey, I never caught your name. Maybe I could put you in the story as the lieutenant of Artemis." He smiled, as though it was a great offer. For a second she smirked at the irony.

"I'm already in your story, Luke," she said softly. "I'm Thalia."

"Yah know, you even look a bit like I imagined her," he said, not understanding. Then a shadow of confusion crossed his face. "Wait… I never told you their names. Were you reading over my shoulder?"

"I'm dyslexic."

"Then how-"

"Don't give us a tragedy, Luke," she said brushing her eye as she walked past him into the wind.

Later that night, the man, lying in bed next to his wife, with his kids down the hall, couldn't sleep. He lay, staring at the ceiling, wondering why the young girl he had talked to in a coffee shop for half an hour felt so familiar, and why she made everything he had accomplished feel so worthless.

He also wondered how she had known the manes of his main characters. He had looked down at his notebook later; their names were never mentioned. It only held ideas about the Hunters.

Playing back the memory, he realized something. She hadn't just known the main characters' names, she said she _was_ the character; she was Thalia, and it was her story. She had called _him_ Luke. His name was Matthew.

The way the story seemed so real, the way she seemed so familiar; it all confused him. It was a small town, so he decided to find her and ask her the next day.

But she was gone. And after a time, he forgot her.

Thalia sat in her tent, thinking, for a long time. Just thinking about how much pain Luke had caused her. She just wanted to forget it all.

She scrambled through her pack until she found her journal. Just as she found it, Jessica walked in.

"Get rid of it," Thalia stood up and pressed it into Jessica's hands.

"Thals, are you sure-"

"Just get rid of it," she pressed, a crazed look seeping into her eyes.

Jessica nodded reluctantly, and retreated out of the tent, but she didn't dispose of it. Jessica had joined the Hunt soon after Thalia, and she knew her story. The girls were best friends, and Jessica knew Thalia would regret throwing this away, someday.

So after Thalia fell asleep, she hid it in her own pack.

A few years later, Matthew Daniels made the bestsellers list with his debut novel, a story of two kids trying to escape Greek mythology.

It had a happy ending.

And one night, when the black-haired lieutenant wasn't looking, a young girl snuck away to a book store, and bought that book. She hid it in her pack next to an old journal that held the same story.

**Review?**


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